


Soundtrack of a Life

by Ladytalon



Category: Firefly
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-06-08
Updated: 2010-06-08
Packaged: 2017-10-10 00:05:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/93021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ladytalon/pseuds/Ladytalon





	Soundtrack of a Life

  
  
  
  
**Title:** Soundtrack of a Life  
**Author:** [](http://ladytalon1.livejournal.com/profile)[**ladytalon1**](http://ladytalon1.livejournal.com/)  
**Characters/Pairing:** Jayne, Jayne/Kaylee  
**Rating:** PG  
**Disclaimer:** Not mine, not making any $$  
**Word Count:** 668  
**A/N:** For all the Jaylee shippers, and even some of the other people too.

  


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The first sound he ever heard was the soft murmur of his mother's voice as she cradled him, crooning nursery rhymes and praise mixed in with nonsense words that held no meaning for anyone but the two of them. Later came the louder, rough tones of his father and sometimes there were even screams of anger surrounding him. Angry slurs brought on by too much alcohol; the sharp slap of a palm hitting bare flesh, a high shriek of pain when the blows got too much for his mother to bear silently, then low sobbing and stumbling apologies that didn't stick for longer than 24 hours before it would all begin again.

Then came the jeers of the other children who thought that his name really _did_ belong to a girl, but those blended into whimpers when his fists persuaded them to change their minds. During his painfully slow and awkward journey through adolescence, there was the ever-present hum of disapproval and helpless frustration from the teachers who tried their best to impart enough wisdom to see him through his life. The disappointment in his mother's voice when he told her that he was leaving to see the rest of the 'verse nearly broke his heart, but he knew that if he stayed any longer he'd turn into something he didn't want to be.

The jingle of coin signified acceptance, and the thud of a fist as well as the loud _crack_ of a gun bought respect, however wary.

His life took an unexpected turn with the echo of a Firefly's ramp closing behind him, and the resultant cacophony nearly deafened him. There were the distrustful orders from Mal, the laughing remarks from Wash that made him long to cram the wise-cracking pilot into the nearest disposal chute, the disgusted mutters from Inara… Zoë didn't make much noise, but she didn't need to. Without her making a sound, he knew she wasn't someone he wanted to mess with. Bubbly little Kaylee filled his ears nonstop with happy chatter and giggles that should have been annoying, but never quite made it that far. When they took on the two passengers who later became crew, he was kept busy drawing outraged yells from Simon and trying not to do any lasting harm to River, whose dreamy babbling and sing-songed speech nearly drove him insane.

The ever-present maddened snarls of Reavers haunted his dreams, but the comforting rasp of his knives over a whetstone kept the terrifying din to a whisper – the deep booming noise that Vera made always settled his nerves as well, but even the sharp pop of any of the smaller guns sufficed in a pinch. His favorite sound was the echoing blast of his grenades when they exploded, but even his joy in them was tempered by the fear flooding his veins at Mr. Universe's moon when the Reavers' mindless screams and howls made his blood run cold.

It was only after the fallout over Miranda happened that he learned what love sounded like.

Kaylee's frustration with Simon had reached its peak, and she turned to him for solace after their relationship ended. The giggles were still there, but they took on a different tone when she looked at him and the thundering sound of his heartbeat echoed in his ears whenever she was near. Their first kiss, though nearly silent, seemed as if it should sound just like sparks set to black powder; Kaylee's whispers and the begging tone of her whimpers as he made love to her were the sweetest music he'd ever heard.

Now he sits and rocks the burden in his arms from side to side gently, looking down into the tiny face of their newborn son – Kaylee is asleep, having been exhausted by the strain of childbirth and while his small family slumbers, Jayne feels that his heart might well burst from the sheer happiness that swells it. In the silence of Serenity's infirmary, all he can hear is the sound of joy.

  


~_fin_~  
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X-Posted to [](http://community.livejournal.com/jaylee_ship/profile)[**jaylee_ship**](http://community.livejournal.com/jaylee_ship/)


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